Peoria Standard

With January 1st approaching, local governments are preparing for the implementation of the SAFE-T Act. Counties are looking to raise taxes to balance budget deficits due to unfunded mandates within the bill.

There are state’s attorneys who have begun the meticulous process of reviewing cases of people being detained pretrial to determine who will be released. Meanwhile, state-level elected officials and candidates continue to battle over the right course of action moving forward. One hundred out of the 102 Illinois state’s attorneys have opposed the SAFE-T Act for various reasons, all Republican candidates and incumbents have opposed the bill, and numerous Democrats have either opposed the bill or stated the wording needs to be changed.

"A lot is on the line this November, including the safety of our communities and families," said Desi Anderson, candidate for Illinois state senate, District 46. "The radical SAFE-T Act, a bill that was opposed by 100 out of 102 state’s attorneys in Illinois, is set to go into effect on January 1 when residents will see the immediate dangerous outcomes of this legislation."

The fact that state’s attorneys across Illinois are figuring out which criminals will be released on January 1 "is precisely what opponents of this bill have warned about," Anderon said.

"Violent criminals will be roaming the streets of our communities, and people like my opponent Sen. Dave Koehler will bear responsibility for their future crimes," the candidate said. "Crime and taxes will increase as the morale of police officers will rapidly decline. This bill is being used as a power grab by Illinois Democrats and will set an extremely dangerous precedent in our state. When I get to Springfield, my first priority will be to repeal this disgrace of a law and prioritize the safety of our communities and police officers.”

The SAFE-T Act is a controversial law passed by the Illinois State Legislature in January 2021 that deals with many aspects of criminal justice reform, including the banning of cash bail, prohibiting pre-trial detention for several crimes, and increasing training and equipment requirements for Police Departments. The bill passed the General Assembly unanimously and the Senate by a 32-23 vote.  Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill a few days later.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Authority website states that the SAFE-T Act enacts extensive reform impacting many areas of the criminal justice system, including pre-arrest diversion, policing, pretrial, sentencing, and corrections.

The most controversial aspect of the SAFE-T Act is its elimination of cash bail in the state of Illinois. The bill noted it will be “presumed that a defendant is entitled to release on personal recognizance” and may be detained thereafter if they violate certain conditions listed in 725 ILCS 5/110-2.

The website Police 1 reported that among the major provisions of the SAFE-T Act is one that restricts the level of force officers may use while pursuing an offender or making an arrest if the officer reasonably believes the person can be apprehended at a later date. It will be illegal for law enforcement to shoot a taser at someone’s back, pelvis and head, which currently is a "recommended target" in all police officer training. Additionally, body cameras will be made mandatory for all law enforcement agencies by 2025. Under the law, officers cannot make custodial arrests for Class B misdemeanors, which include criminal trespass and window-peekers. Instead of making an arrest, officers will be required to issue a citation and do not have the authority to remove a person from private or public property unless they are acting in a threatening manner.

Many localities are struggling to find the funding required to implement the SAFE-T Act. The Center Square reported the Kane County Board is discussing its first property tax hike in a decade, claiming they need it to fill a $3 million deficit created by unfunded mandated reforms in the SAFE-T Act.

Recently, State’s Attorney James Glasgow was asked about the SAFE-T Act in an interview with WGN10 Radio where he responded “the bottom line is the law [The SAFE-T Act] is unconstitutional.” Glasgow continued on to reference Article I Section 9 of the Illinois State Constitution, which states, “[a]ll persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties,” except for capital offenses, death penalty, life in prison, or felonies with mandatory prison.

Anderson is a small business owner with her husband Nick and mother to a 1-year-old. Most will find it hard to relate to her upbringing as she was abandoned as a baby in the Eastern Bloc of communist Europe in Bulgaria. She went on to graduate from Indiana University with a double major degree. Anderson’s goal now is to be a unifying voice in elected office and fight back against the political corruption that has taken hold in Illinois.